Braintree Pizza Palooza picks town's best pie

Friday

Jun 27, 2014 at 5:45 AMJun 27, 2014 at 6:25 AM

Pizza Palooza, held Thursday night at Braintree Town Hall, raised more than $10,000 for the 4th of July Celebration Committee. Youngsters voted Pizzeria Regina at South Shore Plaza as their favorite. Adults chose Easy Pie on Route 37.

Lane Lambert The Patriot Ledger @llambert_ledger

BRAINTREE -- Easy Pie on Washington Street was the popular choice from among 14 Braintree pizza restaurants at Thursday night's second annual Pizza Palooza, as voted by 1,500 adults, teenagers and youngsters at the town hall event.

Sponsored by the Braintree Chamber of Commerce, the three-hour event raised more than $10,000 for the 4th of July Celebration Committee, which organizes annual Independence Day parade and events. This year's festivities will be Saturday.

Along with the popular choice, Richardi's Original Submarine Sandwich on Hancock Street was chosen as an award winner by a celebrity panel of judges that included Mayor Joe Sullivan, Police Chief Russell Jenkins and Fire Chief James O'Brien. They made their award from a blind taste test.

Before the event, Wilcox said the contest is ‘‘a wonderful opportunity for the business community and the community at large to come together and recognize the hard-working men and women who create great pizza in Braintree.''

Wilcox said three times as many people participated in Thursday's Palooza than last year.

‘‘It was a blast,'' he said.

Lane Lambert is at llambert@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @LLambert_Ledger.